A New Christmas Tradition, The Elf on the Shelf

Last year our pastor was giving a sermon and having 3 young children he mentioned the book and doll, "The Elf on the Shelf". It sounded intriguing to me so I decided to do some research.

I found that this is an adorable idea for young children and their parents.When you purchase the set you read the book to your children. The book was written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell. The authors have a website at elfontheshelf.com.

It is a #1 national bestseller with over 2.5 million copies sold.

The elf is magical. He or she can see you but cannot talk to you although the children can talk to the elf. These are Santa's rules. After you purchase your book and elf or elves, you have the fun of naming them with your children. You can fill out a certificate to name your elf and recieve a free letter from Sana.

Now you put the elf on the shelf where he is in clear few of the children and he is of them. The elf has magic abilities!!!! Of course this is all encouraging make believe and imagination in your children. You could get each child their own elf and book to pass down to their own children or just one for the family.

Every night, once the children are fast asleep the elf flies to the North pole and tells Santa what kind of day the children have had. What a neat way to encourage good behavior prior to the holidays!!!!!

You can do all kind of fun things with your kids and the elf. He of she could end up anywhere in the morning like the refrigerator or the pantry. The fun is discovering where the elf has landed once he or she has returned from his trip to the north pole.

It clearly is similar to the Christmas carol "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". I love the excitement and magical nature of the book and elf and plan on purchasing one for my granddaughter. Some parents have even said the idea is the greatest thing for children since the book, The Night Before Christmas. I think it is an awesome idea for a new Christmas tradition for families.

All the children in the family are involved and I imagine it can encourage some interesting dinner time conversation. I would love to ease drop on the conversations the children have with the elf even thought they are one sided!!!!! This just may be the next huge Christmas tradition. Some have put this toy and book on the level of the book "The Night Before Christmas."

I am anxious to get one for my granddaughter. She is a bit young at 11 months but it so difficult to find things to encourage conversation, imagination and make believe today. Family traditions are so important in family life and I think this one is adorable.